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Synonyms

grow up

British  

verb

  1. to reach maturity; become adult

  2. to come into existence; develop

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
grow up Idioms  

  1. Become an adult, as in Sam wants to be a policeman when he grows up . [First half of 1500s]

  2. Come into existence, arise, as in Similar social problems grew up in all the big cities . [Late 1500s]

  3. Become mature or sensible, as in It's time you grew up and faced the facts . This usage may also be in the form of an imperative (as in Don't bite your nails—grow up! ) [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Excitement over optical networking for AI data centers is boosting Marvell, with revenue projected to grow up to 90% this year and next.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Did you too grow up on platitudes such as these?

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

Fans saw them less like distant pop stars, more like talented, awkward and goofy boys - and feel like they watched them grow up.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

At this point, Schaefer said, their real-estate agent has known the family long enough to watch their son grow up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“A life where I got to watch you and your mother grow up in my village, away from the harshness and pain of America.”

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.